Film gate for film handling apparatus



Dec. 16, 1952 J. w. SPALDING 2,621,558

i FILM GATE FOR FILM HANDLING APBARATUS I Filed Deo. 21. 1949 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 Jf/Y Lv.' .S7-'ALPINE Snventor Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITEDA STATEsS' PATENT" OFFICE- FILM ',.GATE g FOR; FILMHANDLING. 5. APPARATUS.' .1.

Thepresent inventionrelates to a lm gate for 1 lm handling apparatus and moreparticularly to features of Vfilm gate construction which facilii tate .the positioning, mounting and locatingof jj the movablergate assembly and which permit the movable gate assemblyto be readilyjremoved from'itsloperative position for purposes of vcleaning and replacement;

.Theprimary object'of the invention,therefore;

is `to'provide a movable gateassemblvwhich is detachably hingedto lthefstationary gate assernbly; the hinge permitting said movable gate memberA to Ibe-moved -to Aanv open position-for threading a filmstrip betweensaid'gate assemblies,v andtoprovide -a resilientl member which maintains the movable Jgate member in its Y normaloperating Y positionand'holds it in 4the' open position.-

Another object ofthe -invention isvto provide a singleresilient memberwhichy is mountedv on the.stationary-- gate :assembly: and-which mainf tains the movablecgate assembly-initsnormal` position, maintains. the .detachable hinge connectionbetween-said assemblies .in both. the normal and openpositionsof` the movable gate memben. .Y

holdsirthefmovable gateassembly inits iopen-.position,y andfpermits withdrawal .of the movable gate assembly from the apparatus@ A .further. object of the invention is to provide,...r` a retaining.'.rnembergonv the movableigate assemf.` bly. 'which haszgopposed, conical. surfaces, .anda

springmemberihavingspaced coils adaptedto be received` .by.:.the;stationary gate assembly andan. i.. intermediateportion whichis adapted to .engage-...- one ,offsaidconical surfaces to maintain the mov-. able` gate lassembly in; positionand toxA maintainy the. .detachable hinge; connection and. which Vis adaptedto engage-the. other nf v*said conical sur` facesswfv hold. .thezmovable f eater. assembly .invits ...fr

openfposition.-

Other and .further objects Y,of the invention; will."

be suggested. to. those. skilledinatheart1bv1thel4 following `disclosure. The .aforementioned and otherobjectsof the.

invention; aregembodied in a film gategassembly:-

including; a stationary. gate .memberla tia-semaine..l ber :.havnsrspaced apertures thereinnand ar..

ranged substantially perpendicular... to i. said gatememberog, movable gate;assembly;.incl11ding1 a Support vmemberaha.vine` hinee'lues and;V position ing, lugs.: a l movable gatei member; adapted top: engage the stationary; gate member, and a re-f` Y.

silient member betweensaid support member and y said second gate member forurging said Inova gatememberetoward.- Said.1stationarvf-eatermem ber, hinge-lues andspaced: aperturesfprovld. t

lng a detachable hinge means for positioning sa1 movable gate assemblyi and forr permitting said movableigateassembly .tobe-moved `toan open position, a .retaining. member having opposed.:

conical surfaces .and secured to said support member,v and a spring `member having spaced coils anchored onjsaid base member and an intermedi-y ate portion adaptedto engage one of said conical. surfaces for maintainingsaid .detachable hinge.;

means and formaintaining. saidipositioning lugs against saids'tationary' gate member and thereby positioning saidigatejmembers to form a guide. way, fora lmstrip'an'd adaptedto engage the other of said conical surfaces uponmovement of said movable gate-assembly to rsaid open position for retaining it in said open position.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wher-ein similar reference numerals.

designate similar parts-and wherein:

Fig. `1 is la sideelevation of a motionpicture camera, ythe side coverbeing removed, and shoW-.

ing the relation ofthe iilm gate to the objective l mount and lm path :j

Fig. 2 is yan enlarged vertical section taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1 showing the ref, .lation of the various elements .when there is no lm-inlthevgate;

Fig. 3 `is'a vertical section similar to Fig. 2

showingfthe'relation of the various e1ements when j I a film stripis positioned in the gate;

Fig; 4 is also `a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 j in sWhich-themovable gate assemblyhas been1 moved to its open orthreading position; and

Fig.'- 5 is anl exploded perspectivev viewof ,the elements comprising the illustrated embodiment of the' invention.

While Vthe -i'llrn 4 gate assembly is il1ustrated herein Awith respect to a motion picture camera of the double 8 mmftype in which the invention is particularly effective, 'it mustbe understood l thatlthefinvention is Valso applicable-to any type of sproclre'tless vfilm handling apparatus. For

purposes of illustration,the film gate lil is shownH in Fig.' V1 fas-being* mountedV within camera casing Il directly-behind objective mount l2 and on;'

mechanismplate I-3.-' Spring motor ,i4-is mount-.1

ed von shaft 15; take-upgspindle I6 beingpdriyenV therefrom bymeans of'belt4 I1 kencircling pulleysH i8 and I9. Supply Vspindle 20vis freelyrotatable, andthe film-F is confined around said's'pindleby the arcuatezguardfmember-vl the film-pathhfrom'. thegsupply freel to the takeupireel being indicated andis'provide an aperture 21 lfor the claw which engages the COmDliSeSfa stationarygate .meme :eneaerieftraclrsl 2 4; .2 Brand .2 6s; th.aniexposureaperturezil and film perforations. The gate member 23 is positioned and secured to bracket 23 which extends through aperture 23 in mechanism plate 3. A base member may be formed integral with gate member 23 or, preferably, may be a separate member secured to mechanism plate I3. It will be noted that base member 3|) is arranged perpendicularly to gate member 23 and is provided with spaced apertures 3| and spaced projections` 32 and 33, as shown `in Fig. 5, for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

The movable gate assembly 35 comprises a support member 36, a floating or movable gate member 31, and a bowed resilient member 33. The support member 36 is provided with hinge lugs 39 which are spaced in accordance with apertures 3| and adapted to be inserted thereinto. Lugs 39 and apertures 3|, when assembled, cooperate to form a detachable hinge means between the stationary and movable gate assemblies. It will be noted from Fig. that the areas 3| between the edge 43 and the apertures 3| are formed outward to permit the lugs 33 to move thereunder when the movable gate assembly is moved to its open position for threading the lm between said gate members. A snubbing action is provided at both ends of the film gate, in Fig. l, by post ll and roller 49 mounted on base member 3U to prevent drag from the supply nlm roll or excessive torque in the take-up film roll so that any undesirable film movement in the gate is eliminated. The floating or movable gate member 31 is secured to the pins 4| which are free to move relative to member 3G through which they pass and has an embossed track 42 which is adapted to engage the central track 25 or the central portion of the film strip which lies thereunder. A second track 43 is embossed along the edge of the gate -member 31 and engages track 26 or the area of lm in contact therewith. The central portion of said track is relieved at M to provide clearance at aperture 21 for the film advancing claw. The resilient member 38 is interposed between member 35 and gate member 31 and is provided with slots 45 for straddling pins 4 From Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the position of member 36 is determined by the lugs 46 which engage stationary gate membel` 23. Spring member 38, therefore, urges movable gate member 31 into engagement with the tracks 25 and 26, the outer end of member 31 being free from engagement with the track 24. Also from Fig. 3 it will be noted that the position of member 36 remains the same and that gate member 31 and pins 4| are moved toward member 36 when the lm strip has been inserted between the stationary and floating gate members. In other words, the gate members, when positioned as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, provide a guideway for a nlm strip movable therebetween, the edge guides 41 `on the stationaryl member 23 preventing any sidewise motion of the film strip.

A pin 50 which is secured to the support member 36 has an inner conical surface 5| and an outer conical surface 52 which terminates in a cylindrical portion 53. Pin 50 serves as a retaining member for the movable gate assembly 35 in a manner about to be-described.

A resilient or spring member 55 is formed with spaced coils 56 and an intermediate formed portion 51, see Figs. 2 and 5. The coils 56 are adapted to be received by the projections 32 and the ends 58 of said coils are retained by projections 33 so that the intermediate portion 51 is urged or biased toward movable gate member 35. The portion 51 is of such a length and formation that the central section engages the outer conical surface 52 so that support member 35 is urged toward the stationary gate member, being positioned with respect thereto by lugs 46. At the same time, spring exerts a downward thrust to maintain hinge lugs 39 in apertures 3|. When the movable gate assembly is moved by linger piece 6U to its open position for threading, as shown in Fig. 4, intermediate portion 51 of spring 55 is moved along the outer conical surface 52 and then engages conical surface 5| tohcld the movable gate assembly in the open position. At the same time, spring 55 also maintains hinge lugs 39 in apertures 3|. To remove or insert the movable gate assembly, intermediate portion 51 of spring 55 is moved to the right and the movable gate assembly as a unit is merely lifted out or inserted so that lugs 33 enter apertures 3|. Upon releasing spring 55, after insertion or the movable gate assembly, it is immediately positioned and the lugs 33 are maintained in their respective apertures.

The retaining member 53 and spring 55, therefore, cooperate to provide a triple function, namely, positioning the movable gate assembly and maintaining it in its proper position, maintaining the detachable hinge connection between the stationary and movable gate assemblies in either the normal operative position or the open, or threading, position, and holding the movable gate assembly in its open position. In addition,

spring 55 permits the movable gate member to be readily removed from or inserted into the camera or apparatus. `Since many variations of this nvention will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the present disclosure is to be viewed in an illustrative sense, and the scope of invention is donned by the appended claims.

Having now particularly described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent; of the United States, and what I claim is:

l. A film handling apparatus comprising a stationary gate assembly including a gate member and a base member adapted to be arranged substantially perpendicular to said gate member and to one side of the film path and having a pair of projections spaced from and parallel to said gate member and provided with an aperture adjacent said gate member, a movable gate assembly including a hinge lug on one end thereof adapted to be received by said aperture and adapted to be s positioned with respect to said gate member for holding the ulm thereagainst, said aperture and hinge lug providing a detachable hinge means for positioning said movable gate assembly and for permitting said movable gate assembly to be moved to an open position, a retaining member secured to said movable gate assembly and having opposed surfaces inclined toward and away from said movable gate assembly in the direction of movement of said movable gate assembly to form a raised edge therebetween, a resilient member having two spaced coils adapted to be received by said projections and an intermediate portion biased by said coils toward said movable gatel assembly for engaging one of said inclined surfaces to urge said hinge lug into said aperture to maintain said detachable hinge means and to urge said movable gate assembly against said gate member and for engaging the other of said inclined surfaces, when said movable gate assembly is moved to said open position, to hold said movable gate assembly in said open position.

2. A film handling apparatus comprising a stationary gate assembly including a gate member aeergesag andabasezmemberiadaptedgto .be arranged-sub z i stantially perpendicularitosaidgate :member and', .i torione' sideof :the lmsspathzand provided with a pairnflspaced aperturessadjacent said gate memf benna moyablegatefassembly. including a pair:- of

and: :hinge: Ilugsfzprovidin'g 1a detachable.. .hinge means for .positioning saidmovable gate. assembly.' and:for:permittingxsaid.movable gate. assembly to 1 bemoyedrtoan; open'zposition; a, retainingv memi Y bemsecuredeto '..said .movable gate assembly; i and .1. z

having:` opposedc'onical surfacesdinclined toward and away from said movable gate assembly and forming a raisedfedgetherebetween,v a resilient member on said base member having a portion thereof biased toward said movable gate assembly for engaging one .of said conical surfaces to urge said `hingelugs into said apertures to maintain zsaid detachable hinge means and to urgelsaidmovable gate assemblyagainst the' film` andr= for`- :engaging the` otherY of` said conical s'urfaces,.iwhensaid. movable. gate assembly is moved t0 isaid open position, .to .hold saidmovable gate` assembly inrsaid open,..position:=1y

3. A film handling apparatus comprising a stationary gate assembly including a gate member and a base member adapted to be arranged substantially perpendicular to said gate member and to one side of the iilm path and provided with a pair of spaced apertures adjacent said gate member, a movable gate assembly including a support member having a pair of spaced hinge lugs at one end thereof adapted to be received by said apertures and a pair of spaced positioning lugs at the opposite end thereof and extending perpendicularly therefrom for engaging said gate member, a movable gate member secured in spaced relation to and movable with respect to said support member for holding the film against said gate member, and a resilient member between said support member and movable gate member for urging said movable gate member towards said gate member, said spaced apertures and hinge lugs providing a detachable hinge means for positioning said movable gate assembly and for permitting said movable gate assembly to be moved to an open position, a retaining member secured to said support member and having opposed surfaces inclined toward and away from said support member and forming a raised edge therebetween, and resilient means on said base member having a portion thereof biased toward said movable gate assembly for engaging one of said surfaces to maintain said detachable hinge means and, to maintain said positioning lugs against said gate member for holding said movable gate member in engagement with the film and for engaging the other of said surfaces to hold said movable gate assembly in said open position and adapted to be manually disengaged from said retaining member for detaching said hinge means to remove said movable gate assembly.

4. A lm handling apparatus comprising a stationary gate assembly including a gate member and a base member adapted to be arranged substantially perpendicular to said gate member and to one side of the lm path and provided with a pair of spaced apertures adjacent said gate member, a, movable gate assembly including a support member having a pair of spaced hin-ge lugs at one end thereof adapted to be received by said apertures ,and a pair kof rspaced 'positioninglugsw at-:the opposite :endithereof and extending .per-.11( pendicularly.V therefrom for engaging. said gatef member, amovable gate memberv secured'ingf: V spaced relation to-and movable with respect to .fw-.- said supportmember for holding the lm againsty said gate member, and a resilient member be-.utweensaid support member and movable gate member for. urging said movable gate member." rtoward said gate member said spaced: apertures* and hinge# lugs providing a detachable hinge means forA positioning said movable gate assemblyl f andnfor permitting. said movable gate lassembly f to be;-movedv to` an open position; a retainingrv.: member-secured to said support'member and hav-1. ing `opposed conical surfacesinclined.. towardra'nd away-from :said support member to .form a raisedV edge therebetween, .resilient meansr onsaid base member-having .a vportion thereof biased towardff. said movable gate assembly. for engagingfone of :i': said conical surfaces to'urge said hinge lugsinto'zcV said aperturesto maintain said detachable hinge. means' andto maintain said positioning lug'sz', against `said gate member for positioning/sama'.` movable gate. assembly and for engaging said :l other conical surface, when said movable. .gaten assembly is moved to said open position, tohold L' said movable gate assembly in said open position.

5. A lm handling apparatus comprising a stationary gate assembly including a gate member and a base member adapted to be arranged substantially perpendicular to said gate member and to one side of the lm path and having a pair of projections spaced from and parallel to said gate member and provided with a pair of spaced apertures adjacent said gate member, a movable gate assembly including a support member having a pair of spaced hinge lugs at one end thereof adapted to be received by said apertures and a pair of spaced positioning lugs at the opposite end thereof and extending perpendicularly therefrom for engaging said gate member, a. movable gate member secured in spaced relation to and movable with respect to said support member for holding the nlm against said gate member, and a resilient member between said support member and movable gate member for urging said movable gate member toward said gate member, said spaced apertures and hinge lugs providing a detachable hinge means for positioning said movable gate assembly and for permitting said movable gate assembly to be moved to an open position, a retaining member secured to said support member and having opposed surfaces inclined toward and away from said support member in the direction of movement of said movable gate assembly to form a raised edge therebetween, a spring member having two spaced coils adapted to be received by said projections and an intermediate portion biased by said coils toward said movable gate assembly for engaging said surface inclined away from said support member to urge said hinge lugs into said apertures to maintain said detachable hinge means and to maintain said positioning lugs against said gate member, for positioning said movable gate assembly and for engaging said surface inclined toward said support member, when said movable gate assembly is moved to said open position, to hold said movable gate assembly in said open position.

6. A film handling apparatus comprising a stationary gate assembly including a gate member and a base member adapted to be arranged substantially perpendicular to said gate member and to one side of the film path and having a pair ofl projections spaced from and parallel to said gate member and provided with a pair of spaced apertures adjacent said gate member, a movable gate assembly including a support member having a pair of spaced hinge lugs at one end thereof adapted to be received by said apertures and a pair of spaced positioning lugs at the opposite end thereof and extending perpendicularly therefrom for engaging said gate member, a movable gate member secured in spaced relation to and movable with respect to said support member for holding the lm against said gate member, and a resilient member between said support member and movable lgate member for urging said movable gate member toward said gate member, said spaced apertures and hinge lugs providing a detachable hinge means for positioning said movable gate assembly and for permitting said movable gate assembly to be moved to an open position, a retaining member secured to said support member and having an inner conical surface inclined toward said support member and an opposed outer conical surface inclined away from said support member to form a raised edge therebetween, and a spring member having two spaced coils adapted to be received by said retaining member for permitting withdrawal of said movable gate assembly from said'apparatus.

JOHN WESLEY SPALDING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,933,066 Merle Oct. 31, 1933 2,234,714 Wellman Mar. 11, 1941 2,373,052 Rausch Apr. 3, 1945 2,431,681 Barstow Dec. 2, 194'7 V2,457,915

Nemeth Jan. 4, 1949 

